On April 26, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the McHenry County Board and the Village of Cary hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new McHenry County Regional Range, a 12,000 sq ft. firing range and classroom to support advanced training of McHenry County deputies and police officers.
Many local officials were in attendance, including Chairman Michael Buehler, Mayor Mark Kownick, McHenry County Board Members, and several McHenry County police chiefs. Dr. Michael Love performed an invocation, thanking all who have made this possible and blessing safety and success on the future first responders who will train at the range.
Sheriff Robb Tadelman stated, “Today is an important day for not only McHenry County deputies and police officers but our citizens as well. Our main goal is, and always will be, the safety of McHenry County residents. With the development of our training center and range, we know we are taking the right steps to improve local training opportunities for our police. A well-trained officer means a safer community.”
The range, which will be located at 460 Cary Woods Circle in Cary Public Works, will include a modern classroom space for about 35 people, a firearm cleaning room, storage space, and a state-of-the-art 50-yard firing range.
“Having a local indoor facility will help to keep costs down for our department and other local agencies. Normally, McHenry County officers would travel across Chicagoland to attend important trainings,” said MCSO Sgt. Eric Ellis, a sergeant in the Training Division, “With a state-of-the-art range and training center, we can bring those trainings to us.”
The firing range, which is separate from the training center, is expected to open in late 2023.